Forever Youthful
by TheGodfather93
Summary: There were relatively few constants in Kakashi's life, and even fewer that he was actually thankful for. Gai, however, was definitely one of them. Hokage Kakashi's thoughts on the friendship between him and his eternal rival.


**Forever Youthful**

 _Tamino crept through the house with bated breath, his long blonde hair flowing majestically behind him, almost like a lion's mane. In his right hand he had a ruby red rose clutched by the stem, refusing to let go. After all, the rose was the only clue he had as to the whereabouts of his target._

 _Kunashi… the name alone sent chills down his spine and made his body shiver as if he had just been dropped into a freezing lake._

 _As Tamino stepped into a long hallway he allowed his eyes to wander a bit, searching for something peculiar. '_ There!' _His roaming eyes paused at the sight of something small and red. Letting out deep breath, Tamino slowly tip-toed towards the object, trying desperately to not make a single sound. Before too long he reached the object, and with a trembling hand bent down to pick it up._

 _As small as it was, it had a fine texture to it, and Tamino could make out a pattern of… roses? He brought the object to his face for a closer look and his eyes shot open as he stared at the lacy design that left so little to the imagination._

 _With his face turning a fierce shade of scarlet, Tamino lowered his hand, still holding onto the raunchy undergarment, and shifted his gaze towards the door in front of him. He couldn't hear anything from behind it, but he knew Kunashi was there._

 _A shaking hand reached for the knob, grasped it, and turned-_

The door swung open and Kakashi, with practised ease, took his feet off his desk and shoved his little orange book into an open drawer. Not even a second later, he was leafing through a stack of papers, a keen glint in his eye.

"Kakashi, my youthful rival!" bellowed a booming voice. "I challenge you to a match! It is finally time to decide in who the fires of youth burn brighter!"

Kakashi, feigning surprise, put down his stack of papers and looked up at the intruder. "Oh? And what's the score now Gai?"

Gai grinned, his pearly whites just about blinding Kakashi. "We are tied at 157 victories apiece!"

Before Kakashi could respond, a short haired woman clad in a black kimono burst into the room, clutching at her side as if she'd just run several consecutive marathons.

"I apologise for the intrusion Hokage-sama," she wheezed. "I tried to stop him but he was just too fast!"

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Not a problem, Shizune-san," he assured his assistant, before turning his gaze to his wheelchair-bound rival. "In fact, I was just about to begin my break. It's been such a long and tiring day after all."

Still panting slightly, Shizune gave the Hokage an odd look, almost as if she wasn't sure she believed him, but bowed nonetheless and left the room, closing the door on her way out.

Gai took this as his cue and, sparkling grin still in place, wheeled himself over to Kakashi's desk, a large sack dangling from his wheelchair.

"What'll it be this time, Gai?" Kakashi asked the green spandex-wearing war veteran. "Poker? Monopoly? Shougi? That Western variation they call chess?"

Despite Kakashi not thinking it possible, Gai's grin grew even wider. "Right you are Kakashi! Spot on as usual! Just what I'd expect from my rival!"

With his trademark exuberance, Gai reached into the sack and withdrew what Kakashi recognized as a wooden chessboard. He then placed it on the Hokage's desk and slid the top open , revealing several small black and white figures.

"Black or white, Kakashi?" Gai asked boisterously.

Kakashi put his finger to his masked chin as if in deep thought, and pondered the question. After a few moments, he made up his mind. "I'll take white."

Gai laughed. "Ha! So you wish to make the first move? How very bold of you Kakashi!" He slammed his hand on the table, causing it to tremble slightly. "In that case, I'll take black!"

The game began in earnest, with both sides playing it cautiously. The important pieces weren't risked, and a few pawns ended up being the first casualties. Eventually, however, Kakashi took out one of Gai's knights with his queen.

"A brilliant move, Kakashi," Gai announced, "but I am not out of this just yet!"

As the match progressed Kakashi took note of the intensely concentrated look on Gai's face. For a brief moment, he was reminded of his rival's resolute determination in the Fourth Shinobi World War, when he was prepared to give his life by opening the Hachimon in order to defeat Uchiha Madara.

But that was just who Maito Gai was. He gave it his all no matter what the task. That trait was one of the reasons he was so formidable as a shinobi. After the war, Kakashi, although he would never admit it, was worried that Gai would lose some of his exuberance after being permanently reduced to a wheelchair.

For as long as he could remember, Gai and extreme, spirit building, bone-breaking training methods were synonymous with each other. With that outlet for his energy taken away, Kakashi wasn't sure whether Gai could adjust to a life of… relative normalcy.

But his fears were unfounded.

To borrow one of his rival's trademark expressions, Gai's flames of youth burned brighter than ever. He had pushed himself to his absolute limit, using a technique that guaranteed certain death, and come out alive. He had fought, by all right, a godlike being, and bested him in combat. He had shown the world the power of his convictions, and had his name etched into the annals of history.

Gai had accomplished a lot during the war.

After it was over, and the first time he was presented with his wheelchair by Tsunade, instead of sulking he had turned around, his blindingly sparkling grin in place, and given them all a thumbs up.

"My friends and comrades," he had said, "I have accomplished more these past few months than I had ever hoped to accomplish before the war. My flames of youth may have dimmed slightly, but they will never be extinguished! No, in time they will burn brighter than ever before!"

And they had.

After Kakashi was made Hokage, he immediately tasked Gai with training the next generation of Hachimon users, and the exuberant jounin took to the job with the vigour he had come to be known for.

It was a bit unusual, really, for Kakashi to be the one issuing orders to Gai. For the longest time, they were equals. Kakashi wasn't a boastful person, but he knew that he far outclassed most of Konoha's resident jounin.

Not Gai though.

No, Gai was always there to keep him in check, and to make sure his head never swelled too big a size. Even when he had the Sharingan and was feared for knowing over 1000 jutsu, Gai was still able to fight him as an equal. It wasn't until after he had been force into a wheelchair that he realised just how strange, how… boring it would be without the man's constant absurd challenges and ramblings about youth.

But Gai didn't let immobility stop him.

Within a week of Kakashi being made Hokage, Gai was back to his usual self for the most part. He still hounded Kakashi with challenges, only these ranged from the relatively mundane, such as thumb wars and arm wrestles, to the more elaborate board games and tongue twisters. It was as if Kakashi's promotion has no bearing on their rivalry, and the masked Hokage wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Checkmate."

Kakashi stopped his pondering and looked down at the chessboard. He quirked an eyebrow. Gai really had forced him into a checkmate. It took him a few seconds to realise that as he was contemplating the past, his body had been moving on autopilot. Unfortunately, this lack of focus had led to his defeat.

"Well damn," Kakashi muttered. "Looks like I lost." However, he couldn't bring himself to care too much.

Gai laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Better luck next time my eternal rival! I can feel the youth bursting from your seams, so I have no doubt our next match will be just as explosive!"

For a brief moment Kakashi pictured himself playing chess against Gai again, only this time the pieces were strapped with explosives that would go off once they were taken out. He shook the absurd thought from his head and watched his rival put the remaining pieces inside the chessboard, and place it in his sack.

"I will let you get back to work, Kakashi," Gai said as he turned around and started wheeling towards the door. "I may have won this round, but don't expect me to become complacent! I fully expect you to be training just as hard, so much so that your flames of youth become positively tangible!"

Kakashi chuckled inwardly and waved Gai out of the room. "Until next time," he called as the spandex-clad jounin closed the door.

When the room was empty again Kakashi sighed. Despite never admitting it, he truly enjoyed Gai's company. The sheer contrast between Gai's personality and his own helped keep him sane, as strange as it sounded. The Hokage had never publicly voiced his thoughts, but he couldn't have wished for a better eternal rival.

There were relatively few constants in Kakashi's life, and even fewer that he was actually thankful for. Gai, however, was definitely one of them. Not that he would ever tell the man though. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

A lecherous grin formed beneath Kakashi's mask as he opened his drawer and took out his little orange book from its hidden compartment, placing his feet on his desk as he did so. "Now that that's done, let's exactly what Kunashi has in store for Tamino…"

 **AN: I've always found Kakashi's and Gai's rivalry intriguing, and I always wondered how it changed after the war. I hope this fanfic did the concept justice. Reviews would be much appreciated. Until next time!**


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